Recognition of masked and unmasked facial expressions in males and females and relations with mental wellness.

Background: While the effects of mask wearing/facial occlusion are known to impair facial expression recognition, little is known about the role of mental wellness on facial expression recognition, as well as the influence of sex on misattribution errors (i.e., confusions between emotions). In this large study, we aimed to address the relation between facial expression recognition and loneliness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in male and female adults. Methods: We assessed the influence of mask-wearing on facial expression recognition [i.e., accuracy and response time (RT)] via an online study in N = 469 adult males and females across Canada. Results: Expectedly, recognition was impaired under masked conditions (i.e., lower accuracy, longer RTs, more misattribution errors). Females were faster and more accurate than males, with less misattribution errors. A novel finding was that people with higher perceived stress were less accurate at identifying masked fearful faces. Perceived stress influenced the relation between sex and RT to masked happy faces; males with high stress scores were slower to recognize masked happy faces, the opposite was true for females. Finally, this study was among the first to show that higher loneliness predicted shorter RT to unmasked faces. Impact: Our results show that facial expression recognition is impaired by mask-wearing, and that sex and mental health features are important predictors of performance. Such insight could be detrimental in certain sectors of the population (e.g., health care or education), and inform policies being adopted in future pandemics.

Simultaneous EEG + fMRI study of brain activity during an emotional Stroop task in individuals in remission from depression.

Individuals in remission from depression (MDDR) tend to experience lingering cognitive and emotional processing alterations. However, little is known about the neural profiles underlying these features. Using simultaneous EEG+fMRI, we assessed neural profiles during the emotional word Stroop task (eStroop) in people with MDDR and healthy volunteers (HVs). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were extracted (N450, N2 & P3). Assessments of brain activation, as modulated by ERPs, were carried out, as were fMRI-informed ERP analyses. A trend for greater P3 amplitudes in MDDR versus HV groups existed. HV versus MDDR groups had greater brain activation to emotional versus neutral words in various regions, including the left amygdala, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG); this appeared to be driven by elevated activity to neutral words in the MDDR group (neutral > emotional). HVs showed greater activation (emotional > neutral) modulated by N450 amplitude in various regions, while MDDRs showed greater neutral > emotional activation modulated by N450 amplitude in the left IFG and left precuneus. Our EEG+fMRI findings indicate that people with MDDR appear to have blunted neural differentiation to emotional versus neutral stimuli or elevated neural responses to neutral information processing. This might represent altered neuronal processing (i.e., underlying attention and conflict processing) during a cognitive task with an emotional component in individuals remitted from depression, or elevated neural responses to ambiguous or neutral information. In sum, subtle lingering neuronal features not accompanied by performance differences appear to exist in people with MDDR.

Plate waste increases with the number of foods proposed: An exploratory experimental study in adolescents' school canteens.

The objective of this exploratory study was to examine whether the number of foods offered has an impact on plate waste and meal satisfaction in adolescents' school canteens. The plate waste of 247 French students was estimated during two school lunches, the only variation being the number of starters offered (3 versus 6). Plate waste was assessed by the weight of food left on the tray. Students had to complete a short questionnaire regarding their general satisfaction with the meal. The results indicated that limiting the number of starters provided from 6 to 3 choices led to a decrease of Plate waste (-28.1 g) (p < .0001), and a modest increase in Meal satisfaction (p = .02). They suggest that limiting the number of food choices in school canteens reduces plate waste, while not diminishing satisfaction with the meal.